Leer for annealing glassware



' Nw. 13, 1923. www@ D. sTENHoUsE LEER FOR ANNEALING AGIJASSWARE Filed Sept. 50. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Bv v

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lill) .which roper annealing o ner yin a small fraction of the time .the empicyment of carrying-in boy vwholly dispensed with.

Patented Nov. i3, i923. 'y .l

intacta DAVID STENHOUSE,

or onanizsnnne, wns'r vriieiivia.

Lnnia non ANNEALiNG snesswnnr..

Application filed September To all whom t may concern: e

Be it known that I, DAVID SmNHoUsn, a citizen of the United States of America, and' resident of Clarksbur county of Harrison, and State of l/Vest Virginia, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Leers for Annealing Glassware, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to annealing furnaces, and more particularly to a leer `for the annealing of glassware.

The primary object of the invention is to provide -a leer in which a natural seal is created in the portion thereof which` carries the maximum temperature, thereby'obviating the necessity for employing doors or other heat-confining means.

A further object is to rovide a leer in` ip the ware may be and efficient manrequired' accomp ished in a practical by prior leer structures. e e

` A still furtherobject is to rovide a leer in which, during the return oi) the conveyor or ware-carrying medium to the charging point, said conveyoris preheated to a temperature approximatingv the charging teinperati'ire of the ware, largely utilizing for this purpose waste heat given up by the Ware and the advancing portion of the conveyor in passing to'and through the cooling chamber of the leer, the purpose being not` only to prepare said'conveyor for the reception of the ware which is to be annealed and eliminate` the danger of fracture which exists when the temperature of such conveyor is materially -lower than the charging ternperature of the' ware, but `also to effect the preheating without material increase in fuel consumption, or by means of reclaimed heat. Another object is to provide a leer which may have its charging end'located closely adjacent to the ware-forming't machine or Ina-l chines without materially reducing or inter` fering with factory floor space, permitting s and'leer requiredy to be feeding evioes heretofore A. still further object within the contem-- plation of the invention is to, provide, in a. leer of the character mentioned, an 'improved and novel form of conveyor whereby the ware is carried through the leer. I'

With these and other important objects inkk view, the-inventionresides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and eling chains; andand 5, respectively,

0, 1920. Serial N0. 413,691.

combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l lis a llongitudinal section of the invention, illustrating-the features thereof in amore or less diagrammatic manner; l

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section on line 2 2, Fig. l' y Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view of one 'of' the ware carriers;

Figure 4 is sectional end elevation in which the section is taken on the line 44,

Fig. 3, showing the track-ways for the trav- .Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view in side elevation of a fragmentary portion of the conveyor.

Referring-to said drawings, in which like designating. characters distinguish like parts throughout the several views* l indicates a furnace or main annealin chamber formingv a part of the leer, said chamber being located at a high elevation and being suitably sup orted, as by a structural steel supporting fiiame 2. Leading upward into the rear end of said chamber l is a passage 3 having located adjacent to its lower end an opening 4"through which lassware for annealing is introduced, and eading downward from the front end of said chamber isa passage 5. Said passages 3 and 5 constitute, respectively, ascending and descending legs through which the ware is transported in passing to and from said chamber 1. The descending leg 5 communicates at its lower end with the rearend of a long passage or chamber 6, hereinafter i, termed the cooling chamber, inwhich during its passage the ware is gradually re- 95 duced in temperature following lheating thereof to the required high temperature in the furnace: chamber 1. `f r Beneath the floor of the furnace chamber l, which maybe heated electrically or by any other suitable heating means, is a passage' 8 which communicates at its rear and front. ends, respectively, with vertical passages 9 and 10 located adjacent'to and separated from the ascending and descending legs 3 by partitions 11 and 12 which extenddownward from the opposite ends of said .floor 7' to points adjacent to the lower ends of said legs. i

Arranged within: the leer is an endlem traveling conveyor comprising apair of sprocket chains 15-o that type which em- 'iio bodies carrying rollers 14: adapted for travel upon trackways, as 13. Said chains are carried by a plurality of sets of sprocket wheels 16 disposed at points for causing travel of said chains throughout a path or course substantially as fol ows: From a point at or adjacent to the lower end of the ascending leg 3 of the leer upward through said leg to the rear end of the furnace chaini ber 1, thence horizontally through said chamber', thence downward throuo'h the descending leg 5 to the upper part o? the adJacent end of the cooling chamber 6, thence Jforward on a slight downward incline through said cooling chamber', thence back through said cooling chamber beneath the therein-advancing portion of the conveyor, thence upward through the passage 10 to the front end of passage 8, thence rearward to the passage 9. and thence downward through the latter to the point of beginning.

The carrying sprockets 16 of each set have a relatively staggered arrangement, as shown, so that one of the chains 15 carried thereby is at all times disposed somewhat in advance of the other, providing for the mounting of ware-supporting pans or trays 17 on said chains in such manner that the same are at all times held in horizontal ware-carrying position. As shown, said pans or trays are seated upon arms 18 :formed upon or carried by a shaft or bar 19 which has its opposite ends loosely mounted in bearings, as 20, formed upon the opposite chains at points which at all times occupy a common plane, or at points in which, in the horizontal positions ot' said chains, one is advanced be ond the other a distance corresponding to t at at which one sprocket 16 of each set is advanced with respect to the other; and the intermediate or body portion of said bar 19 is shaped to permit of the mounting of its ends in the relation described, as shown in Fig. 3.

Due to the relatively great elevation of the: furnace chamber 1, a natural seal is created in the legs 3 and 5 for confining to said chamber the heat developed in the lat. ter. Thus, it is possible to dispense with doors and other mechanical means commonly employed. in 'leers for preventing the escape of heat and for preventing access of cold air.

lVare placed upon the trays 17 as the latter pass by the charging opening 4 is promptly elevated into the furnace chamber and is rapidly heatedto the high temperature carried in the latter. During its passage through said chamber the ware is sub- .jected to the required annealing heat, and

in its descent through the descending leg 5 and its passage through the cooling chamber 6 the temperature of said ware is gradu- "ally reduced. Said cooling chamber may be provided throughout its length or any La7-spas desired portion thereof with suitable fines, as 2l, preferably havin thermostatic o0ntrol, whereby .the contro led escape of heat may be permitted. To'provide for still more rapid cooling, cold air tlues, as 22, opening upward through the door of the cooling chamber may be arranged at suitable intervals. v

As is obvious, since the return travel of the trays 17 to the char ing point is in close proximity to the path o? travelof 'the heated ware, said trays absorb heat ven 'oiv by said ware and the furnace wal and floor, which heat would otherwise be wholly lost, so that at the charging point they possess a temperature approximating that of the ware which is delivered thereto from the ware-forming machines. This preheating of the conveyor by reclaimed heat results in a material economy in fuel consumption, it being understood that in prior structures it has been necessary yto' provide special means for heating the carriers or conveyors to a point at which the danger of' fracture of articles of ware deposited thereon is reduced.

The leer is preferably so located that the ascending leg 3 thereof is closely adjacent to the ware-forming machines, so as to facilitate the transfer of the ware. Due to this arrangement and to the location of the furnace chamber at a considerable elevation above the factory floor so as to afford am le head room for the workmen, the descri ed leer structure may be employed without material reduction in the floor space at points where such space is required for other purposes.

' What is claimed is- 1. A leer for glassware, comprising a horizontally'disposed main annealing chante ber of substantial length, said chamber havingl ascending and descending legs communicating with its opposite ends and being located at a relatively great elevation whereby is created a natural seal for confining heat thereto, the ascending leg having a charging opening therein adjacent to its lower end, and an approximately horizontal cooling chamber communicating with said descending leg, and an endlessware conveyor arranged for advance travel from lll llt

the charging opening to and through said l cooling chamber and for return travel throughout a path in which its temperature is raised to the requiredpointby absorption' given od' by the ware and the leer y lining heat thereto, the ascending leg having a charging opening therein adjacent to its lower end, an approximately horizontal cooling chamber communicating with said descending leg and leading forward therefrom, and an endless conveyor arranged for travel for :arrying Ware trom the 'charging opening to and through said main annealing chamber and thence to and through said cooling chamber.

3. In an annealing leer, a supporting trame, a horizontally disposed main annealing chamber carried by said traine at an elevation affording a clear floor space lfor workmen thereunder, vertical ascending and descending passages communieatingr with the opposite ends 'of 'said chamber, said ascending passage having acharging opening therein adjacent to its lower end, an approximately horizontal cooling chamber in communication with the lower end portion ot said descending passage, and an endless conveyor disposed for travel through said passages and chambers, said conveyor embodying ware supports which are permanently 'maintained in horizontal carrying position. I

4. A leer for glassware, comprising a, main annealing chamber having ascending and descending legs comunicating with its opposite ends, said chamber being located at a relativelyv great elevation whereby is created aJ natural seal for coniining heat thereto, the ascending leg having a charging opening therein adjacent to its lower end, an aiproximately horizontal cooling chamber communicating with said descending leg, a plurality oi sets of sprocket wheels located adjacent to the angles between said chambers and said passages, the sprocket wheels of each set having a staggered arrangement, endless chains arranged 't'or travel on said sprocket wheels for carrying ware trom -the charging opening to and through said main annealing chamber and thence to and through said cooling chamber, bars jonrnaled on said chains with one end thereof in advance ot the other, and warecarrying trays mounted upon said bars, said bars being adapted to permanently support said trays in horizontal position.

In testimony whereof, l atlix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVll) STENHOUSE. Witnesses MARSHAL MARTIN, Gr. Sinnamon* Faun. 

